Pharmaceutical News
Consent forms should be added to My Health Bank
2021/07/09

By National Health Insurance Administration Director General Lee Po-chang

 

The National Health Insurance (NHI) has accumulated 66 billion medical records in the past 26 years. Since 2018, patients’ medical images such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), have been collected and applied with value-added data analytics to provide a sound foundation for Taiwan’s push for development in precision medicine and biotechnology.

 

Although we have repeatedly emphasized that the use of NHI data must meet legal requirements and the interests of the public; in actuality, efforts at informing the public and gaining consent are key to maximizing the gains from the secondary use of medical data. We plan to add the option for users to provide consent to the utilization and sharing of NHI data to the My Health Bank app. Users will be asked for their opinion on the reuse of their NHI data, followed by a query on whether they will agree to have their data to be used in academic or industry research projects. Users may also opt to suspend access to their medical data.

 

Taiwan's National Health Insurance is a single-payer health care insurance system, and the data collected over the past 26 years is one of Taiwan’s most valuable national asset. Establishing the best way to utilize this asset while preserving the rights of the public and finding the balance between innovative and conservative policymaking on the utilization of NHI data is among the most important responsibilities of the National Health Industry Administration Director General.  

While the accumulation of personal experience is crucial to the advancement of medicine, the application of big data analysis is even more important. Advancements in health care depends not only on the accumulation of personal experiences, but also on effective analysis of NHI data. The use of medical data analysis should aim for the betterment of the public good, as opposed to the pursuit of individual self-interest. Therefore, businesses seeking the commercial use of NHI data must give back to the NHI. How best to allow NHI data to be analyzed to reap benefits for the future generations, while ensuring cybersecurity and continuous improvements to legal compliance, is a topic that deserves input from across society.

 

[2021-7-5/ United Daily News]